ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Where yesterday's game was a defensive battle, the Alaska hockey team's offense cranked into gear in a 5-2 victory over Maine in its second game of the Kendall Hockey Classic on Saturday afternoon.

The Nanooks (2-0) now await the result of tonight's game between Wisconsin and Alaska Anchorage to determine if they will be crowned tournament champions.

Alaska's Peter Krieger, Josh Atkinson, Colton Sparrow, Alec Hajdukovic and Brandon Morley all scored en route to the 5-2 win. Assistant captain Garrick Perry contributed two helpers and captain Colton Parayko picked up his second point of the season, as he assisted Krieger's goal in the first period. Davis Jones was strong in net again, as he made 19 saves on 21 shots.

Said Josh Atkinson, "it was a great win for the guys. We played strong in the first and third periods and showed we could handle adversity in the second."

Maine jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Blaine Byron poked home from close range following a goalmouth scramble. Jones made the initial save from a 3-on-2 opportunity, but was unable to cover and in the ensuing tussle, Byron slid the puck over the goal line.

Alaska was not behind for long, however, as Peter Krieger and Josh Atkinson scored less than a minute apart to give the Nanooks a 2-1 lead.

Krieger, who hit the post in yesterday's win over Wisconsin, scored his first collegiate goal as he beat Maine's Sean Romeo high glove side after some smooth play by Parayko and Perry. Krieger picked the puck up in the high slot and his wristed shot found the back of the net.

Atkinson scored moments later as the Nanooks upped the intensity in the offensive zone. Alec Hajdukovic found Atkinson in a good shooting lane and the junior defender made no mistake as he buried the puck in the net, giving Alaska a lead it would not relinquish.

"I'm lucky to be playing with guys who have the skills to open up shooting lanes," said Krieger of his goal. "They have given me some good scoring opportunities and I was happy to take the chance."

The Black Bears piled pressure on the Nanooks in the second period, but the defense and Davis were able to repel every chance Maine created.

In the third, Alaska went back on the attack again scoring goals in quick succession. Colton Sparrow notched his first goal of his collegiate career just 1:39 into the period. Hajdukovic added to his strong game and kept the momentum going for Alaska as just two and a half minutes later he beat Romeo to give the Nanooks a 4-1 lead.

Though Devin Shore would score to bring Maine to within two goals, Brandon Morley scored an empty net goal with just over a minute remaining to seal Alaska's second win of the season.

"I thought we took a step forward today," said head coach Dallas Ferguson. "We stuck to the gameplan and I was glad to see the goals go in because yesterday we created a lot of chances and our guys deserved to put more on the board."

Ferguson was also proud of the way his defense played and how it was able to spring the offense going forward. "Goals and chances don't always start in the offensive zone," he explained. "A lot of times it will start with a shot block or something else going well on the defensive side. We showed the guys that in film and they carried it in to the game today."

Alaska will now return to Fairbanks for the Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tournament, where it plays host to Penn State University and the United States Air Force Academy (Alaska Anchorage also competes in the BAGR).

Said Ferguson, "We will enjoy the wins this weekend but we have to work hard this week because we know that we are going up against two hard-working, strong opponents next weekend."

The Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tournement gets underway on Friday, Oct. 17 as Alaska Anchorage takes on Penn State at 5:07. Following that game, the Nanooks will face-off against Air Force.